Suzette Quintanilla Sues SHEIN Over Unauthorized Selena Merchandise Sales

Suzette Quintanilla and her Corpus Christi-based company Q Productions filed a federal lawsuit on March 11 in U.S. District Court in California against SHEIN Distribution Corporation, SHEIN US Services LLC, and SHEIN Technology LLC, alleging the fast-fashion retailer sold countless T-shirts and related apparel bearing Selena Quintanilla's name, image, and likeness without any authorization or compensation.

The complaint alleges SHEIN designed, marketed, and sold the merchandise through its website, social media platforms, and other retail channels across the United States, despite Q Productions holding federally registered trademarks tied to the Selena name, used in connection with merchandise and entertainment services for decades. Around August 1, 2025, representatives for the estate sent SHEIN a cease-and-desist letter demanding the listings be pulled. According to the filing, the products remained available for purchase afterward.

"To date, Defendants continue to willfully and unlawfully exploit Plaintiffs' Selena Marks and rights of publicity in commerce against the express demands by Plaintiffs to cease and desist such use," wrote Quintanilla's attorneys Thomas K. Richards and Justin R. Trauben in the suit.

The complaint brings four counts: federal trademark infringement, trademark dilution, unfair competition, and misuse of Selena's name and likeness for commercial purposes. Plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to block SHEIN from producing or selling any further Selena-related merchandise, disgorgement of profits the company earned on the unauthorized products, attorneys' fees, and a jury trial. The filing reportedly includes product images pulled from SHEIN's listings as evidence.

SHEIN, in a statement to TMZ, attributed the listings to third-party sellers on its marketplace. "When we were made aware that the products in question were being sold on Shein Marketplace by third-party sellers, we immediately removed the listings from our platform and launched an investigation," the company said. SHEIN did not immediately respond to Billboard's separate request for comment.

The suit adds to a pattern of legal enforcement by Selena's estate, which previously filed a 2023 lawsuit against Catalina Classic Cruises over promotional materials tied to a tribute cruise. It also fits a broader pattern of legal exposure for SHEIN, which since its 2008 launch in China has faced repeated copyright complaints from independent designers alleging the company replicated their work.

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the Tejano music star behind "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and one of the most culturally enduring figures in Latin music, was shot and killed in Corpus Christi in March 1995 at age 23. Three decades later, the commercial value of her name and image remains significant enough that Q Productions' fight to control it is nowhere near finished.